Taliban talks likely to continue despite Doha office row

DOHA, July 9 (Reuters) - Despite a row over the Taliban'soffice in Qatar, talks on their future role in Afghanistan areeventually likely to resume in what is expected to be adifficult and unpredictable peace process, diplomatic sourcessaid on Tuesday.

They were responding to reports that the Taliban had closedtheir office in Doha, the Qatari capital, after Afghan PresidentHamid Karzai objected to their raising a flag and giving it anameplate that suggested they wanted to set up agovernment-in-exile.

"Because of the arguments around the office, it hasn'treally been used, but people are still willing to find a wayforward," said one western diplomat.

Another diplomat said it was reasonable to assume that thoseinvolved in the talks process were still keen to make progressdespite the row over the office, which opened just last month.

"It has never been used. That's not to say people don'ttalk," the western diplomat added.

The office is meant to allow the Taliban to negotiate apolitical settlement with the Afghan government, though theinsurgents say they would rather talk directly to the UnitedStates who they see as the main power broker in Afghanistan.

Supported by Pakistan, the talks with the Taliban are partof a much broader process to seek peace in Afghanistan as theUnited States and its allies prepare to pull out most combattroops by the end of 2014.

That process also includes: diplomatic efforts to easetensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan; preparations for nextyear's presidential election in Afghanistan; and talks betweenWashington and Kabul on retaining some U.S. troops after 2014.

The New York Times this week quoted U.S. and Europeanofficials as saying President Barack Obama was also consideringa "zero option" under which no U.S. troops would be left behindin Afghanistan after the end of 2014.

ENGAGING WITH THE INSURGENTS

The talks with the Taliban - held intermittentlybehind-the-scenes for several years by various countriesincluding the United States - are meant to find a way ofbringing the insurgents back into the Afghan political process.

Believed to have the endorsement of the Taliban leadership,they were expected to pave the way for an exchange of prisonersas an initial confidence-building measure, according todiplomats. Among those would be five Taliban prisoners held bythe United States at its prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Three senior members of the Afghan Taliban told Reuters they had not closed their office in Qatar but suspended talksand removed their flag from the building after differencesemerged between the U.S and the Afghan government over theproposed negotiations.

"We wanted direct talks with the U.S whereas the Afghangovernment has been planning to hold negotiation with us, whichis not acceptable to us," a senior Taliban commander said.

Pakistani and Afghan officials had no immediate comment onnewspaper reports that Pakistan and Afghanistan were preparingto resume talks after a bitter row over the Doha office.

Afghanistan has long accused Pakistan of backing theTaliban; in turn Pakistani officials complain that Karzai isimpeding the peace process for fear of losing his authority.

Pakistani newspapers have reported that Prime Minister NawazSharif's adviser on foreign affairs and national security,Sartaj Aziz, would soon visit Kabul, though dates have yet to befixed.

The western diplomat said it was a positive sign that thetwo neighbours were planning talks.